In the 15 years since his death, attempts to preserve and teach Lenny Breau’s legacy of guitar technique and aesthetics have all been reverent, and of uncommonly high quality. From John Knowles’ pioneering and excellent Lenny Breau Fingerstyle Jazz on through the recent fine video instructional tape by Paul Bourdeau, the integrity of discussion of Lenny’s work among guitarists pays tribute to the high standards Lenny set for himself. The new book, Visions, by Stephen D. Anderson, with design, layout and artwork by Montreal luthier Ronald Cid, continues this tradition.

Anderson, a close friend and student of Lenny’s over a period of 8 years, delves into personal insights and anecdotes, interwoven with a carefully designed sequence of exercises and etudes which introduce Lenny’s concepts, techniques and innovations, exploring each in depth .The pacing and order of the presentation inspires a feeling of familiarity and confidence in the material, a feeling of connection which seems very much in the spirit of Lenny Breau. Lenny Breau’s music was intensely personal, similar in its intimacy to the work of pianist Bill Evans. It’s not surprising that a personal book such as Visions would be such an effective learning tool for its particular subject.

Chapter I, Comping Chords, teaches how to begin to use Lenny’s two-note chord voicings to define major, minor and dominant 7th chords, using just the 3rd and 7th of each chord. The two note chords free up the remaining left hand fingers to play melody. Gradually a tonic note is added above the chord, and things really start to sound reminiscent of Lenny. A 12 bar blues uses four to the bar comping chords with a melody of tonic notes on top. A little 4 bar vamp on p. 11 frees up the melody a bit, followed by some exercises using flat-five substitutions, then on to the three note comping chords.

A little bit of comping and melodic independence in place, Anderson then introduces one of Lenny’s signature innovations: By extending the range of chord defining tones to include the upper partials, and seeking to voice these comping chords in 4ths, the variety of substitutions and chordal synonyms multiplies, while falling well within the anatomical confines of the human hand, and leaving plenty of fingers free to play melodies or bass lines. A G major scale harmonized in 4ths follows, reinforcing and verifying the concept. Anderson then gives an example of how the same chord formation, heard in the context of many different roots, works. In short, by the end of the first chapter, you’re well on your way. Chapter II, Harmonics. A clear and detailed discussion of the right hand technique involved in Lenny’s harmonic arpeggios, then deep into a generous selection of applicable chord voicings. The following discussion of scales, modes and arpeggios could really provide months of study. Very in-depth, yet sequenced so as to be manageable.

At this point in the book, the reader can put the guitar down and sit back and read a wonderfully illuminating section of Ron Cid interviewing Anderson about his recollections of knowing and living with Lenny. This section gives a detailed, intimate picture of Lenny which guitarists and guitar historians are lucky to have.

Chapter III is a more in-depth discussion of Quartal Harmony (voicing chords in 4ths), but since Anderson’s already prepared you to grasp this a couple of chapters ago, you feel like an old hand, ready to try anything! Chapter IV, an in-depth discussion of 3 against 2 rhythmic independence, is another valuable exploration which works well with Knowles’ and Bourdeau’s equally fine treatments of this aspect.

Time to relax and read again, this time Anderson’s personal and persuasive short essay on how Lenny’s life might have more enjoyable if not for the stigmatization of drug addiction in American society, which left Lenny with few options other than eventual despair and a life of art lived under outlaw, rather than supportive, conditions.

Chapter V, entitled ‘Dig This’, presents a transcription of a favorite theme of Lenny’s, his reharmonization of the theme from ‘Miles’ by Miles Davis, followed by a discussion of the diminished scale banjo rolls Lenny based on Chet Atkins’ work. Chasin’ the Line, a composition Anderson based on a progression shown to him by Lenny, teaches harmonizing chords against a chromatic melody line, ascending and descending. This is followed by a transcription of another beautiful blues by Lenny, called B’s Blues, and an exciting section on innovative endings in Lenny’s style. Some nice concluding words from Steven finish out the book.

In his recent book, Lost Chords (Oxford University Press 1999), Richard M. Sudhalter wrote that the “conflation of influentiality with importance inevitably scants those who have sailed into the wind, applying unconventional concepts and methods in the service of creativity – and utter inimitability. “ While the inimitability of Breau’s music may have contributed to his relative obscurity during his lifetime, Anderson’s book, along with the work of John Knowles, Chet Atkins, Paul Yandell, Ike Isaacs, Randy Bachman, Paul Bourdeau and others, helps ensure the presence of his legacy with an integrity, brilliance and desire to communicate worthy of its subject. The book’s combination of poetic sensitivity with rigorous logic admirably succeeds. Highly recommended.